Analysis of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Blocks With Reference To Its Potential and Sustainability
Analysis of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Blocks With Reference To Its Potential and Sustainability
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All content following this page was uploaded by Mohammad Arif Kamal on 02 August 2020.
The Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) was created and developed in 1924 by the Swedish
architect Dr. Johan Axel Eriksson, along working with Professor Henrik Kreüger at the Royal
Institute of Technology (Rajan, 2013). It is an eco-accommodating structural material that
originates from modern waste and is produced by using non-poisonous and non-toxic
ingredients. With AAC, the development procedure can be around 20 percent quicker. It weighs
just around 50 percent of a standard solid square and has high warm protection and is acoustics-
accommodating. It additionally has preferable imperviousness to fire over fly debris and is non-
burnable. It's non-hypersensitive and henceforth keeps up the nature of air inside a structure
without changing its properties after some time. With AAC, the development procedure can be
around 20 percent quicker. It weighs just around 50 percent of a standard solid block and has
high thermal insulation and acoustical properties. It's non-unfavorably susceptible and
consequently keeps up the nature of air inside a structure without changing its properties after
some time. The utilization of AAC block can lessen development costs by about 2.5 percent for
structures, for example, schools and medical clinics, and diminish the running expenses of
lodging and places of business by to 30 to 40 percent after some time. Fig. 1 shows an AAC block,
(brand named as Aerocon blocks).As indicated by one report, AAC now represents over 40% of
all development in the United Kingdom and over 60% of development in Germany (Schnitzler,
2016).
2. Raw Materials Used In Manufacturing of AAC Blocks
As compared to most other concrete building applications in the construction industry, Aerated
Autoclaved Concrete (AAC) is created utilizing no total bigger than sand. Quartz sand, calcined
gypsum, lime (mineral) as well as concrete and water are utilized as a coupling specialist. In
certain nations, similar to India and China, fly debris produced from thermal power plants and
having 50-65% silica content is used as an aggregate. There are many raw materials which are
used in the manufacturing of AAC blocks. The Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (AAC) comprises of
Flyash or sand as the major component. The percentage proportion of Fly ash is 65-70% and
coarse sand is 55-65%. The percent proportion of cement 53 GRADE OPC with Flyash is 6-15%
and with sand is 10-20 %, The percent proportion of Lime with Flyash is 18-25% and with sand
20-30 %, The percent proportion of Gypsum with Flyash is 3-5% and with sand is 2-3 %. The
percent portion Aluminium powder paste (600 kg/m3) is 8 % or 0.05%–0.08% by volume
(contingent upon the pre-indicated thickness). The water percent with Flyash is 0.6 and with
sand is 0.65 %.
3. Specifications and Performance Summary of AAC Blocks
The product specification and its performance summary of AAC blocks are summarized as below
(Kamal, 2016):
3.1. Appearance
The Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is light-hued and contains numerous small voids that
can be observed when taken a gander at intently. The gas used to 'froth' the solid during the
manufacturing process is hydrogen from the chemical reaction from the Aluminum paste with
alkaline soluble components in the cement concrete. These air pockets add to the material's
protecting properties. In contrast to stonework, there is no immediate way for water to go
through the material; be that as it may, it can suck up dampness and a suitable covering is
required to forestall water infiltration.
kg/cum. The density of wet blocks is around 800 kg/cum as compared to that of red clay bricks
(2400 kg/cum).
3.5. Insulation
The Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) has very good thermal insulation qualities relative to
another masonry. A 200mm thick AAC wall gives an R-value rating of 1.43 with 5% moisture
content by weight. With a 2–3mm texture coating and 10mm plasterboard internal lining it
achieves an R rating of 1.75 (a cavity brick wall achieves 0.82). A texture-coated 100mm AAC
veneer on a lightweight 70mm or 90mm frame filled with bulk insulation achieves a higher R
rating than an otherwise equivalent brick veneer wall (see Insulation; Lightweight framing).
Relative to their thickness, The Thermal Conductivity of AAC blocks is 0.16 kW/m°C against 0.70
of bricks, thus recurring energy cost is reduced in air conditioning. AAC panels provide less
insulation than AAC blockwork, e.g. a 100mm blockwork AAC wall has a dry state R-value of
0.86, and a 100mm AAC wall panel has a dry state R-value of 0.68.
blocks, AAC cannot be damaged or infested by termites and other pests. It does not attract
rodents or other pests nor can it be damaged by such.
plasters have bonding agents to enhance their adhesion and flexibility and are commonly
installed by either spraying or troweling.
b. For commercial applications requiring high durability and low maintenance, acrylic-
based coatings are often used. Some contain aggregates to enhance abrasion resistance.
c. When ceramic wall tile is to be applied over AAC, surface preparation is normally
necessary only when the AAC surface requires leveling. In such cases, a Portland cement
or gypsum-based parge coat is applied to the AAC surface before setting the ceramic tile.
The ceramic tile should then be adhered to the parged wall using either a cement-based
thin-set mortar or an organic adhesive. In moist areas such as showers, only a Portland
cement-based parge coat should be used, and the ceramic tile should be set with cement-
based, thin-set mortar only.
4.6 Lintels
Precast or cast-in-situ concrete lintels can be used in block masonry, over all openings. Lintels
shall always rest on a full block with a minimum bearing as under. Below the openings, the RCC
band should be provided with reinforcement to avoid diagonal tension cracks. The bond beam to
be extended up to 300 mm from window corners both sides.
4.7 Plastering
Followings are the points that should be considered while plastering the AAC walls:
a. Do not soak the wall before plastering. The wall shall be moistened evenly before
applying the plaster. A fog spray is recommended for this purpose.
b. For external plastering has to be carried out in two coats, apply SBR coating with sand on
the block surface will enhance the bonding and minimize the thickness of plastering.
c. It is recommended to use cement mortar 1:6 for internal & external plastering works and
preferably use PPC cement for masonry and plastering works to minimize shrinkage
cracks.
d. Plastering thickness can be minimized to 10 mm and 15 mm for internal and external
walls.
8. Cost Comparative Analysis of AAC Block, Clay Brick and CLC Block
The cost comparative analysis of brickwork in masonry and plaster for AAC blocks, Red clay
bricks, and Cellular Light Weight Concrete (CLC) blocks are summarized in Table 2 and Table 3
respectively (Jain et al., 2018).
Kamal Arif M., J. Build. Mater. Struct. (2020) 7: 76-86 85
Table 2. Cost Comparative Analysis for AAC Blocks and Clay Brick Masonry for 1 m3 [1:4]
Table 3. Cost Comparison for Plasterwork for AAC Blocks and Clay Brick for 1 m3 [1:4]
productive use of recycled industrial waste i.e. fly ash, hence this material can be classified as a
sustainable building material. The production price of AAC blocks at the manufacturing unit is
from Rs. 3200/- to Rs. 3600/ per cubic meter as per the rates in India in the year 2019. The
inherent properties of AAC blocks result in fast and efficient construction techniques. Hence the
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) has become an efficient building construction material
which is being used in a wide range of residential, commercial and industrial buildings and it has
been used in the Gulf countries for the last 40 years and in Europe for since 70 years, and in
Australia and South America for the past 20 years. According to a report, the AAC blocks are
used more than 60% of construction in Germany, and in England approximately 40% of all
construction industry (Andrews, 2019). Since the AAC blocks use readily available raw materials
in the manufacturing process, have excellent durability, are energy efficient, are cost-effective,
and also can be recycled, therefore Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) can be said to be a green
and sustainable building material.
11. References
Andrews A. (2019). Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Market Outlook: Trend and Opportunity Analysis,
Competitive Insights, Actionable Segmentation and Forecast 2023, Research Report, Energias
Market Research, Buffalo, USA.
Jain U., Jain M., & Mandaokar S., (2018). Comparative Study of AAC Blocks and Clay Brick and Costing,
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management, 1(9), 539-543.
Kamal Arif M. (2016), Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC): A Sustainable Building Material [Online]
Available from http://www.masterbuilder.co.in/autoclaved-aerated-concrete-aaca-sustainable-
building-material/, accessed on 10 May 2020.
Kulbhushan K., Kumar S., Chaudhary R., Ahmad S., Gupta S., & Chaurasia R. (2018). A Contextual Analysis
of the Advantages by Using Lightweight Concrete Blocks as Substitution of Bricks, International
Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET), 5(2), 926-931.
Majumdar B. (2019). New Building Materials and Technologies, Vol. IV, Compendium of New Building
Technologies, Indian Building Congress, New Delhi, India.
Rajan N. (2013). Five green building blocks, [Online] Available from
http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/5-green-building
blocks/article4813910.ece, accessed on 20 May 2020.
Schnitzler S. (2016), Autoclaved Aerated Concrete as a Green Building Material, UC Davis Extension,
Switzerland.